gnome (thing)

Name of a nuclear test that took place near Carlsbad, New Mexico on December 10, 1961. A 3.1 kiloton device was detonated 1184 feet underground, as an attempt to tap high-pressure steam from salt deposits and transfer it to energy. This was part of the Plowshare experiment, an attempt to harness nuclear destruction for peaceful applications. It was a stupid idea, as all of the steam released was highly radioactive.